Knock at the Sky
Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible
Incorporating a wide range of references to art, science, and religious history, Knock at the Sky is Liz Charlotte Grant’s beautiful, daring, sweeping interpretation of Genesis.
In this mesmerizing discussion of the biblical book, Grant explores connections between vastly different subjects, from Michelangelo to M.C. Escher, and questions assumptions about the inerrancy of scripture: “When we invite paradox, curiosity, and empathy to shape us, this … act of wondering, opens us to mystery.” Astute and searching, Grant discloses that her favorite patriarch is Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, who wrestled with an angel or God.
Each chapter opens with an enigmatic Bible verse and a haunting montage of images. Grant cites a startling variety of stories and sources to illuminate key themes in Genesis. She compares the stirring, inscrutable song of humpback whales to the mystery of God in the creation story. She describes how the Bible resembles a fossil, “made of and by the humans who came before.” She admires the curiosity of astronomer Vera Rubin and compares the dark matter Rubin discovered to the “invisible stuff” of God’s presence. She suggests that John Cage’s perplexing music, which emphasizes listening and silence, is analogous to Abraham’s attention to God’s voice from the clouds. She explores the parallels between Hagar, the enslaved woman who bore Abraham a child, with the outsider fiber artist Judith Scott. She also addresses Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, Abraham’s call to sacrifice Issac, and other stories with insights that are evocative and surprising.
Knock at the Sky is an imaginative, inspiring exploration of Genesis. Defying conventional interpretations and searching for deeper links between ideas, Grant shifts from one revelation to the next in a seamless fashion, her prose precise, poetic, and inventive.
Reviewed by
Kristen Rabe
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